Heat exchange – Intermediate fluent heat exchange material receiving and... – Reversible chemical reaction
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-25
2001-07-10
Atkinson, Christopher (Department: 3743)
Heat exchange
Intermediate fluent heat exchange material receiving and...
Reversible chemical reaction
C165S104110, C165S907000, C062S477000, C062S480000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257322
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an indirect heat exchanger filled with solid-gas reaction powdery particles for exchanging heat with solid-gas reaction powdery particles under an elevated pressure condition.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following literature discloses hydrogen absorbing tanks which are constituted as sealed tanks which include a hydrogen absorbing alloy powder and an indirect heat exchanger and store hydrogen gas by utilizing the hydrogen absorbing-desorbing action of the hydrogen absorbing alloy powder.
The indirect heat exchanger has heat storage medium conduits, a heat-exchanger set having many fins secured to the outer surfaces of the heat storage medium conduits to exchange heat with the hydrogen absorbing alloy powder, an inlet side header joined to the inlet side ends of the heat storage medium conduits, and an outlet side header joined to the outlet side ends of the heat storage medium conduits.
According to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 6-281097, the heat-exchanger, having the heat storage medium conduits and fins formed as a unitary structure through the metal-extrusion molding, is contained in a casing having a nearly square shape in cross section in a direction at right angles to the direction in which the heat storage medium conduits extend, tenons are formed at the outer ends of the fins, tenon grooves are formed in the inner surfaces of the casing, and the two are joined together by the tenons, so that the casing will not be swollen by the fins.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-30397 discloses an indirect heat exchanger (hereinafter often referred to as a zigzag-type indirect heat exchanger) in which a heat-exchanger set is constituted by a flat tube (heat storage medium conduit) arranged in a zigzag manner in many stages in the direction of height and holding corrugated fins between the stages, and both ends of the flat tube are joined a pair of headers, respectively. The flat tube includes partitioning walls arranged at a predetermined distance in the direction of width therein, so that the interior of the flat tube is divided into many small flow passages.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-330301 proposes an indirect heat exchanger (hereinafter often referred to as a parallel shunt-type indirect heat exchanger) in which many flat tubes are arranged in many stages in the direction of height to constitute a heat-exchanger holding corrugated fins, and both ends of the flat tube are separately joined to a pair of headers. The two headers are secured to a closure that closes the opening of a square can body having a bottom which is opened at its upper end.
With the indirect heat exchanger filled with solid-gas reaction powdery particles having the above-mentioned tenon-coupled heat-exchanger set, however, the fins must be formed with a decreased thickness and must be provided in a small number to maintain the volume for containing the hydrogen absorbing alloy powder, resulting in an increase in the heat-conducting resistance between the heat storage medium in the heat storage medium conduits and the hydrogen absorbing alloy powder. Besides, the tenons formed at the outer ends of the fins can be slid and pushed into the tenon grooves formed at the inner surfaces of the casing. This work involves difficulty when it is attempted to decrease the clearance between the two.
In the above-mentioned zigzag-type indirect heat exchanger, the flat tube is set at a right angle to the direction of transfer of the heat storage medium and develops a difference in temperature between the small flow passages, in the direction of transfer. Besides, some small flow passages may be clogged or constricted with the metal powder, spoiling or greatly deteriorating the heat-exchanging function of the small flow passages as a whole.
In the above-mentioned parallel shunt-type indirect heat exchanger, the flat tubes are extended in a horizontal direction to suppress the sedimentation of the hydrogen absorbing alloy powder and, as a result, the headers are extended in the vertical direction. When the casing is constituted by a can body and a closure plate for closing the opening, the headers are generally joined to the closure plate. Accordingly, the closure plate extends in parallel with the flat tubes, and it is not easy to fill the space between the neighboring corrugated fins with the hydrogen absorbing alloy powder to a sufficient degree through the opening in the can body.
Besides, the two headers must be wider than the flat tubes at both ends of the flat tubes. In other words, the headers have large volumes, resulting in a decrease in the volume of the casing that is to be filled with the hydrogen absorbing alloy powder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was accomplished in view of the above-mentioned problems and its object is to provide an indirect heat exchanger filled with solid-gas reaction powdery particles, which features excellent heat-exchanging performance between a heat storage medium and solid-gas reaction powdery particles, allows its performance to be hardly deteriorated even if small flow passages in the flat tubes are constricted or clogged, and offers an increased internal volume to be filled with the solid-gas reaction powdery particles.
Another object of the invention is to reduce the weight of the indirect heat exchanger filled with the solid-gas reaction powdery particles.
The indirect heat exchanger filled with solid-gas reaction powdery particles of the present invention comprises:
an indirect heat exchanger which includes:
a heat-exchange unit constituted by an upstream heat-exchange set having many flat tubes in many stages in the direction of height, said many flat tubes forming many small flow passages independently of one another and extending in the back-and-forth direction, and having fins extending in the back-and-forth direction while maintaining a predetermined gap among said flat tubes neighboring up and down, and a downstream heat-exchange set, having the same structure as said upstream heat-exchange set, which is arranged close to the side of said upstream heat-exchange set in the direction of width;
many tubular headers extending in the direction of width neighboring the ends on one side of said flat tubes to connect ends on one side of the pairs of the flat tubes at positions of equal heights of said two heat-exchange sets, and are arranged in the up-and-down direction maintaining a predetermined gap;
an upstream common header for commonly connecting the ends on the other side of said flat tubes of said upstream heat-exchange set; and
a downstream common header for commonly connecting the ends on the other side of said flat tubes of said downstream heat-exchange set;
a sealed casing containing at least said heat-exchange unit and tubular headers of said indirect heat exchanger, and having an inner peripheral edge and an outer peripheral edge formed nearly in a rectangular shape in cross section in a direction at a right angle with the back-and-forth direction;
solid-gas reaction powdery particles filled in said sealed casing; and
gas-transport tubes extending back-and-forth among said neighboring flat tubes penetrating through the end walls of said sealed casing in the back-and-forth direction to transport a gas that reacts with said solid-gas reaction powdery particles.
The present invention may be more fully understood from the description of preferred embodiments of the invention set forth below, together with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4131158 (1978-12-01), Abhat et al.
patent: 4995236 (1991-02-01), Halene
patent: 5082048 (1992-01-01), Iwaki et al.
patent: 5165247 (1992-11-01), Rockenfeller et al.
patent: 6041617 (2000-03-01), Sanada et al.
patent: 0055855 (1982-07-01), None
patent: 0288495 (1987-12-01), None
patent: 6-281097 (1994-10-01), None
patent: 7-330301 (1995-12-01), None
patent: 11-30397 (1999-02-01), None
Kubo Hidehito
Toh Keiji
Atkinson Christopher
Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho
Morgan & Finnegan , LLP
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